Celebrate MomThis year I will be turning 50 and I realized that I had the most wonderful mom for only half of my life! You see, my mom passed away two days after Mother's Day in 1989. I was 24 years years old and had just gotten married six months before. I was so happy to have found the man I would share the rest of my life with and ,more importantly, have a family with. I could not wait to have children! It was something I had always dreamed about. Then it hit me. How would I become a good mom without my mom there to guide me?So it began. My quest into unknown territory without a compass. The basics sort of just came; feeding, clothing, tending to an illness. It was instinctual. Like and animal in the wild. So, I thought, I got this….it's automatic. Then it came to the really important things. How do I teach them about faith, freindship, love, compassion, selflessness, humility? All of these qualities that I want to instill in my children. Somehow, I made it through. Twenty five years later. My children are young adults and it is ALL there! All of those qualities that fill a mother's heart with pride and joy.I realized then, that my mother had already taught me the the most important lesson of all! Children learn by example. I had been learning my whole childhood and didn't know it! A good mom is a gift and her example will live on far beyond her years.Lori Gianni-Schaibly